1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus and method for receiving e-mail.
2. Description of Related Art
Recently, internet facsimile terminal apparatuses (IFAX terminal apparatus) for e-mail that transmit/receive data via internet using e-mail, exemplified by disclosures in Japanese Laid Open Application 8-242326 and its corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,233, have become commercially available.
These IFAX terminal apparatuses are equipped with the same configurations and user interfaces as G3/G4 facsimile machines, which are normally used in offices and homes. And such an IFAX terminal apparatus is in one body, can be operated by an operation panel with numeric keys, one-touch buttons or the like, and provides information to users using a relatively small LCD screen.
The steps for receiving an e-mail using an IFAX terminal apparatus is briefly explained hereafter. An IFAX terminal apparatus accesses to a mail server for receiving mail (e.g., POP3 server), and while retrieving e-mail stored in a mailbox assigned to an individual mail account, the apparatus stores an attached image file (facsimile data) in its image memory. After finishing the e-mail reception, the apparatus extends the image file and outputs the same to a printer to print the e-mail.
However, conventional IFAX terminal apparatuses usually do not have a large capacity in a hard disk, unlike personal computers (PCs), and the image memory capacities to store image files are not necessarily sufficient. Therefore, when an image memory is having a memory overflow, such an apparatus is not capable of storing e-mail in the image memory, even if the apparatus has retrieved the e-mail from a mail server. Consequently, the e-mail cannot be printed.
Also, even if there is a risk to have a memory overflow, such an apparatus would still retrieve the e-mail, therefore, the e-mail will be deleted from the mail server and will become lost.
Further, during a memory overflow, e-mail cannot be received/printed normally. Therefore, it is not preferable to have such a problem for a long period of time.
The above-described problems are common not only to internet facsimile apparatuses, but also to e-mail reception apparatuses, without memory with large capacities as in hard disks, which receive e-mail using relatively small memory capacities.
This invention is provided in view of the above-described problems. The object of the present invention is to provide an e-mail reception apparatus and method for receiving e-mail that can securely retrieve e-mail from the mail server, even with a relatively small memory capacity.